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Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will face six-time Women’s T20 World Cup champions Australia in their must-win group stage game on October 13 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. A win will help India stay alive in the tournament and it will come down to net run rate (NRR), which two teams progress from Group A (given New Zealand beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka).
As India gear up to face table-toppers Australia at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, here’s a look at their record in T20 World Cup history.
India and Australia have faced each other six times in T20 World Cup. India have managed to beat Australia twice, that too convincingly.
One-sided wins for Australia
They did not face each other in the inaugural edition in 2009. In the 2010 edition, Australia beat India by seven wickets with seven balls to spare as captain Alex Blackwell's 49-ball 61 helped them chase down the target of 120 on Caribbean soil. Australia went on to win their maiden title.
In 2012, India managed to post 104/8 in Galle as Erin Osborne bagged three wickets. Australia chase down the target with eight wickets in hand and 16 balls to spare.
Mandhana’s rampant knock leads India to victory
Six years later, India and Australia locked horns on Caribbean soil again. This time around, Smriti Mandhana scored 83 runs from 55 balls and had support of Harmanpreet who scored 43 runs from 27 balls. Chasing a target of 168, Ellyse Perry lacked support and Australia were bowled out for 119. India beat Australia by a big margin of 48 runs.
Poonam spins a web around Aussies
At the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 2020 edition, Deepti Sharma's unbeaten 46-ball 49 guided India to 132/4. Australia were expected to chase it down but Poonam Yadav spun a web around Australian batters in the middle overs. She got four wickets as Australia were bowled out for 115 despite Alyssa Healy's 35-ball 51 and lost the match by 17 runs.
Australia resume dominance
In the final of the 2020 edition, India met Australia again. Openers Healy and Beth Mooney went berserk scoring 75 and 78 respectively. Chasing a big total of 185 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), India suffered a batting collapse and were bowled out for 99. Australia won the match by 85 runs and lifted the trophy at home.
Thrilling semifinal
The first nail-biter between the two at the stage took place in Cape Town in 2023. Mooney's half-century and contributions from skipper Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner helped them post 172/4. India's top-order collapsed but Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet kept the run chase alive. Harmanpreet's run out turned out to be the turning point as India fell short of the target by six runs despite the captain's 32-ball 54. Once again, Australia won the T20 World Cup title.
